


Every Little Thing

by blackcoffeeandteardrops



Category: Iron Man (Movies), The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: F/M, Fluff and Angst, Post-Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 (Movie)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-12
Updated: 2019-08-12
Packaged: 2020-08-19 15:41:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,430
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20212204
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/blackcoffeeandteardrops/pseuds/blackcoffeeandteardrops
Summary: In which Tony and Pepper deal with an ordinary, not Earth ending type emergency. Nobody ever said pregnancy was easy, right?





	Every Little Thing

**Author's Note:**

> This comes from a prompt from some friends of mine 3000 years ago. Life, and other writing projects got in the way. It didn't turn out quite as long as I thought it would, but I like it, and I hope you do, too. Thanks for reading!

"We are not naming our child Destiny, if it’s a girl,” Pepper said, rubbing her growing belly. She and Tony had been bickering over baby names for the better part of twenty minutes, ever since she’d woken up from a much needed nap to see him sitting next to her, a book of baby names in hand. It was strange in a way, seeing Tony dive into something with such intensity, much in the way his brain tinkered when it came to his work with the Avengers. The baby wasn’t even born yet, and he was already studying as much as he possibly could. There were nights she’d wake up to him studying the latest parenting book he’d purchased, a far cry from the nights he’d slave away in his lab. Not that he didn’t still do that from time to time, but ever since Thanos had made half of the world’s population disappear, Tony had backed away from being Iron Man, at least within the public eye. “I don’t want her to be a stripper.”

“That’s prejudice, Pep. I’m sure there’s lots of lovely girls named Destiny that aren’t involved in that field. Not that I would know. And hey, you admit you think it’s a girl,” he said, grinning as they walked into the living room. “Do I win the bet if it’s a boy like my dream?”

“One, I didn’t say it was a girl. And two, if this is your way of bringing up Morgan as a potential name again--”

“What? Morgan is a great name, and it’s good for a boy or a girl,” Tony replied, watching as her shoulders sagged. He reached out his hands, massaging her shoulders gently, not missing the way she all but melted into his touch. He leaned in close, planting a kiss on her forehead, breathing in deep for a second before pulling away. “I’ll be back in a second. Just going to pop the popcorn. Don’t start the movie without me.”

“Tony?” she called after him, holding onto the couch for balance. She’d been tired more often than not lately, but the sudden dizziness she felt was unexpected. Still, she plastered on the most serious face she could muster, wanting her request to be made clear. “There’d better be extra butter on that popcorn when you come back in here.”

Tony arched a brow, laughing softly to himself. “Pregnant you suddenly has a craving for junk food. I like it,” he said before turning to the kitchen.

Pepper laughed, resting a hand on her growing middle as she rounded the couch. As she did, she was met with a rolling wave of nausea much worse than in her early stages of pregnancy. She drew a sharp breath, closing her eyes against the walls that suddenly began to spin, and the last thing she remembered before her knees buckled was that she really wanted to sit down.

Moments later, Tony rounded the corner, bowl filled to the brim with popcorn tucked under his arm. "Extra butter, just like you requested. Did you decide what we're--" he stopped, immediately forgetting the popcorn, all but letting it crash to the ground, kernels falling everywhere as he ran to Pepper's side. Seeing his pregnant wife on the ground was more than enough to cause him to panic, but he took in as much air as his lungs would allow, willing himself to remain calm and assess the situation. "Honey. Hey, Pep. Come on, open your eyes." he pleaded, his fingers pushing back her hair to get a glimpse at her face. 

Slowly, Pepper did as he asked, frowning in confusion as she realized she was staring up at the ceiling. "What happened?" she asked, trying to sit up.

"Easy," Tony warned her, slowly helping her sit up as best he could. "The best I can tell, you tripped or something, bumped your forehead on the way down. Now come on, we're taking you to the hospital to get checked out. Besides, you're getting blood all over my carpet," he said, wincing at the cut on her forehead.

"Your carpet? Tony, I'm the one who picked this carpet out. And besides, I feel fine," Pepper replied, drawing in a deep breath as another bout of dizziness washed over her. "I don't want to go to the hospital when it's just a minor cut. You've earned far worse cuts in your lab & just nursed them at home."

"Okay, fine. No hospital. But I'm going to ask FRIDAY to run a full scan on--"

"Tony, no. You said you'd never do that. When we got married, you said--" she paused, leaning into him as he helped her stand, groaning in protest as he all but ordered her onto the couch. "You spilled the popcorn. We just cleaned in here."

"That's what you're worried about? Hon, you just fell down, and--" he stopped, panic crawling up his throat as the color faded from her face and she again closed her eyes. "Alright, nope. We're not doing this," he declared, clapping his hands together. He'd told her there'd be no hospital, but he knew now that was something he'd have to make up for later. This was more than a simple trip, and he needed to get her to the closest hospital before he was too late. He pressed his palms to his closed lids so tight stars exploded in his vision, and he tried conjuring up the quickest path to get there. "Fri?" Tony called, all but barking out his command.

"On it, sir," FRIDAY replied, moments later telling him the quickest way to go.

The hospital was only minutes away, and due to Pepper's pregnancy (and, if Tony was being honest, his celebrity status), they were shuffled through and into a room far quicker than they would have been otherwise. 

"I'll be fine, Tony. We both will be," Pepper insisted, watching as a nurse who collected a vial of blood from her left the room. "Will you please sit down? I think you scared her."

"She should be scared. They all should be, if they can't find out what's--"

"Tony, come sit down. Please?" Pepper pleaded, pushing herself up onto the pillows with as much strength as she could muster. She waited until he did as she asked to continue speaking. "We're going to be fine."

Tony watched as she smiled, cupping his cheek as she tried her best to reassure him. Her face was pale and had lost much of its color, and though she was doing her best to keep up in the conversation, he could tell she was tired. He clenched the edge of the bed with one hand and squared his jaw, staring off into the distance for a moment before focusing back on her. "I can't fix this, Pep, I can't be the one that fixes whatever is going on here. And that--" he darted his tongue out, shaking his head as if doing so would keep the negative thoughts at bay. 

"It scares you?" Pepper asked, quirking a brow. She reached a hand out, signing in relief when he curled his fingers protectively over hers. "Honey, you can't fix everything. And you shouldn't have to. The doctors here are smart, they'll figure it out. And you just have to sit here, and be my husband, and accept that, okay?" she continued. "And maybe get me some water."

"Water! Yes, I can do that," Tony replied, clapping his hands together as he moved to the pitcher of water a nurse had brought in moments before. He watched as Pepper closed her eyes. It was only a moment, just her resting, but it left him holding his breath until she opened them again.

"Tony?"

"Hmm?"

"You're spilling the water."

He jolted back, noting how he'd overfilled the cup they'd provided. He wiped the table down and got the water back in order, and by the time he did that, she closed her eyes again. A few seconds slipped by and he watched as her chest rose and fell. His eyes drifted to the swell of her belly, and he marveled at the life growing inside of her. They'd already lost so much, Tony thought. They had to get through this okay.

When the door opened next, a tall doctor with her hair pulled back stepped through. She explained Pepper experienced an iron deficiency, which was likely the cause in part for her fatigue, along with hypoglycemia. Coupled together, the two contributed to her fainting and subsequently having little strength, but the doctor assured them that with the right medications, food intake, and plenty of rest, she'd be back in working order soon. 

"I'd like to do an ultrasound while you're here. Given our exam, it's unlikely the fall caused any damage to the baby, but I'd like visual confirmation," the doctor said, waiting for Pepper's approval before proceeding as planned.

"See?" Pepper said, giving Tony's hand a squeeze after the doctor left the room to retrieve the machine. "I told you we'd be fine."

"You're right," Tony conceded. "But of all things to have a deficiency in? I mean come on, Pep--"

"You can't seriously be making this about Iron Man right now, really?"

"I'm kidding, honey. A little dad humor for the kiddo in there," he replied, gently rubbing her belly.

"I love you," Pepper replied.

"Remember that when you're pushing this little lady out, hmm?" Tony mused, leaning close to press a kiss to her cheek. 

"We don't know that it's a girl yet," Pepper replied, already knowing he'd gloat if proven right.

"It could be half alien for all I care, I'll love them anyway. Although, Miss Potts, you'd have a lot of explaining to do if that's the case. I was in space for a few weeks, busy trying to save the world from destruction and all, but I hardly think that would give you time enough to--" he was interrupted by her pressing a finger to his mouth, urging him to be quiet. 

Moments later, Tony watched as a nurse spread cold jelly across Pepper’s stomach. He knew their baby would show up on the screen when she pressed the wand to her skin, but even so he held his breath, staring in awe at the tiny human that wriggled before them in black and white. His childhood had been far from ideal, his father not exactly a stellar example of the way a dad should act, but he could only hope to be half as good as his kid deserved, which would be at least two times better than Howard ever was to him. 

Pepper listened as the nurse explained what they were looking at, taking measurements as best as they could, and she let out a sigh of relief upon hearing the baby appeared to be fine. “I told you, Tony, we’re okay,” she said, giving his hand a squeeze.

“She takes after her mom. She’s tough that way,” he teased, his shoulders feeling lighter than they had since the whole ordeal had started.

“That seems to be the case, Mr. Stark. She’s lucky to have the both of you as parents,” the nurse agreed, finishing up with what she needed to do with the scan.

“What did you just say?” Pepper asked, taken aback.

The nurse looked between them both. “I’m so sorry. Given what he said, I assumed the two of you were already aware...I can show you if you like, while the gel is still on,” she said, moving the wand just so and pointing to a particular spot on the screen.  
“You don’t get to gloat about this,” Pepper said once the nurse had left. 

“About what? Being right? I wouldn’t dream of it,” he replied, only half kidding. He reached forward, moving a strand of hair from her face. His fingertips grazed the bandage they’d placed on her forehead, sucking in a sharp breath. “How you feeling, Pep?”

“I’ve felt better,” she conceded. She closed her eyes for a second, sighing in exhaustion. When she opened them again, she wasn’t at all surprised to see him looking back at her. “We’re going to have a daughter.”

“I know,” Tony replied, his face growing serious. “I’m going to have to deal with a mini you.”

“Really? I thought we were having a moment there,” Pepper replied, crinkling her brow, only halfway pretending to be offended. “And besides, if the way this little one kicks about at night is any indication, she’ll definitely turn out like you.”

He smiled, shrugging as he was for once left without some kind of witty response. That he got to call Pepper his wife and that they had a daughter on the way seemed impossible after the horrors he’d faced, but if he had anything to say about it, the world would be a safe place for them both. Still, it almost didn’t seem fair that they could have this, given how much had been lost. “Hmm?” he asked, realizing she was waving her hand in his face.

“You were staring off there for a minute,” Pepper said, not having to guess too hard at where his mind had gone. “You still miss him. Of course you do, honey, and that’s…” she stopped, shaking her head as tears burned her eyes. She hadn’t known Peter as well as Tony had, but she’d seen how hard he’d taken that loss. “You’ll find a way to bring him back. To bring them all back.”

Instantly, Tony began shaking his head. “I can’t risk this. I can’t risk losing either of you,” he said, gripping her hand and resting his free one on her stomach. 

“You’re smart. You’ll figure out a way to do it. And even if you don’t, it’s going to be okay,” Pepper replied. She knew him well enough to know the reassurance from her would only go so far. He’d likely always have some what if thoughts, unless he truly did find a way to fix things, but she wanted to try her best to help him keep it all at bay, at least for a while. “I’m going to get some of that rest they said I should get before they decide to discharge me,” she said, scooting over just a fraction before lifting the blanket up. “And you’re joining me.”

“As you wish, Miss Potts,” he replied, truthfully too tired to argue. Not that he would, he thought. Resting with his wife and child was exactly where he needed to be.


End file.
